Xiao Hanzheng thought about it on the way back.
He replied: “There was no such special examination.”
Then he changed the subject and said: “But the number one scholar in the autumn examination at the end of the year was surnamed Zhuo, and it was most likely her.”
He didn’t participate in the next imperial examination in his previous life, but after becoming an official, he looked through the examination papers of the past ten years, so he had some impression of the surnames of the number one scholars in each session.
Shi Qingluo thought for a while and asked: “Isn’t she an official in the capital?”
Xiao Hanzheng shook his head: “No, she was probably transferred to another place.”
He thought about it carefully again, and suddenly thought of something: “By the way, the prefect of Beicheng was surnamed Zhuo, and I don’t know if it was her.”
Although he had joined the army and fought on the northern border, he soon went directly to the capital, so he had never met the prefect of Beicheng himself.
But he has heard of Prefect Zhuo. This prefect has a good reputation on the northern border.
Shi Qingluo touched her chin: “When she was perfect, was Prince Jin still there?”
Xiao Hanzheng shook his head: “At that time, Prince Jin had already been executed, and Prefect Zhuo was promoted later.”
Shi Qingluo said, “I always feel that her identity should not be that simple.”
“By the way, could she be a spy from the Ge Kingdom or something?”
“Or is she left behind by the previous dynasty?”
In the past, when she read novels or TV dramas, didn’t women who disguised themselves as men in ancient times have a bloody life story?
Not to mention, the former royal family was very likely.
Women disguised themselves as men, which means they have to hide their identities.
Then to participate in the imperial examination, there must be a plan.
Otherwise, wouldn’t it be better to be an ordinary person and live quietly? Why do you have to risk the disapproval to come to the imperial examination?
After hearing what his young wife said, Xiao Hanzheng couldn’t help but have doubts.
He nodded: “It’s not impossible. My investigation may not be correct.”
Sometimes, the things found may have been arranged by others a long time ago. After all, he has limited manpower on the northern border.
Shi Qingluo thought about it and suggested: “Old Xiao, I think you should tell the Emperor about this matter.”
“You have limited manpower, so it’s better to let the Emperor investigate.”
“Now Daliang is already in internal and external troubles. If there is another spy or people from the previous dynasty make trouble, it will be more troublesome.”
The people were displaced by the tyranny of the previous dynasty, so it was overthrown.
The current Emperor of Daliang was working hard to govern the country. He not only cares about the world but also the people.
So, Shi Qingluo still hopes to live a stable life in Daliang but doesn’t want to find someone from the previous dynasty to overthrow the Daliang royal family.
Or maybe there will be another civil war after the war, and the people will suffer.
Xiao Hanzheng had never thought of telling the Emperor about this matter and letting the Emperor’s people investigate.
Instead, he was thinking about how to send people to intensify the investigation and see if he could find anything wrong.
It would be very slow to investigate like this.
But after listening to his wife’s words, he understood it all at once.
“Yes, the Emperor should indeed investigate this matter.”
The Emperor has a lot of spies on the northern border, after all, he has to keep an eye on Prince Jin who may rebel at any time.
So if the Emperor sends people to investigate, the results will probably come out soon.
Shi Qingluo asked: “When will you tell the Emperor? Do you need Xi Rong to help pass on a message?”
Xiao Hanzheng thought for a while: “No, don’t tell him yet, wait until after the palace examination.”
“Otherwise, people who don’t know would think that I want to pull Zhuo Jun down because I’m afraid of her strength.”
“Even if I tell the Emperor, it will take time for him to send someone to investigate. Zhuo Jun’s success in the imperial examination cannot be changed.”
He knows the Emperor’s temperament very well. He will not act rashly without investigating Zhuo Jun’s identity.
Shi Qingluo thought about it and said: “Well, then wait until after the banquet for the list of candidates, and then find a chance to tell the Emperor.”
Two days later, the banquet for the list of candidates was held in the palace.
Xiao Hanzheng entered the palace early in the morning.
The Emperor had already read the top ten best test papers selected by the examiners, and he had an idea of the ranking of the top one.
Soon, all the candidates who participated in the palace examination were brought to the hall.
Everyone immediately saluted: “Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!”
The Emperor raised his hand: “Stand up!”
In addition to the Emperor, the ministers were also there.
Even Xiao Yuanshi, who had been staying at home to reflect, was called into the palace.
He sat not far away and saw his eldest son among hundreds of candidates at a glance.
There was no way, Xiao Hanzheng was too outstanding in both appearance and temperament, and he would attract people’s attention at a glance in the crowd.
The Emperor first said a few words of encouragement and then asked the eunuch to read the imperial edict.
The names of the top three in the first class were written on it, and the ranking of the second class was determined according to the ranking of the results previously reviewed by the examiner.
The eunuch took the imperial edict and began to read it, and the candidates present were very nervous.
Xiao Hanzheng was not nervous, he was still confident of getting the top three.
If nothing unexpected happens, he might be the top scholar.
Sure enough, after the eunuch read out the imperial edict, Xiao Hanzheng was the top scholar in the first class.
The second place was a man in his forties from an aristocratic family.
The third place was Zhuo Jun.
When Xi Xinheng and others heard that Xiao Hanzheng was the top scholar, they couldn’t help but smile.
Xiao Hanzheng was amazing. Not only did he get the top scholar, but he was also the first person to get the triple champion award since the founding of Daliang.
Then the first place in the second class was announced, and the names of the people who passed the imperial examination were announced.
This time Qi Yiyang performed well, and he moved up a few places compared to the examination, ranking thirteenth in total.
This made Old Master Qi and Second Master Qi Er both have happy smiles on their faces.
Xiao Yuanshi’s smile was very stiff, especially when he found that many people looked at him with sympathy, ridicule, sarcasm, and gloating. He couldn’t sit still.
The Emperor did this on purpose, calling him to witness with his own eyes that the son he abandoned had become the top scholar.
At this moment, he felt very uncomfortable, and his regret was even more severe.
If the family hadn’t separated and broken ties, the top scholar would have been his son, Xiao Yuanshi.
Unfortunately, regret was useless, so he wanted to go home quickly, he couldn’t stand it.
Next, the Emperor had a private conversation with the top three of the first class.
The court officials present could see that the Emperor liked and valued Xiao Hanzheng and asked Xiao Hanzheng a lot of questions about people’s livelihood.
The second-place winner was very jealous, but he didn’t dare to show it.
Zhuo Jun didn’t show jealousy or envy but seemed happy for his friend.
Next, the three people of the first class were paraded through the streets.
Xiao Hanzheng rode on a big horse, his face was as handsome as jade, making many girls blush.
“This year’s champion is so handsome!”
“This champion is so good-looking.”
“It’s a pity that I heard that the champion has already married, otherwise even the princess would have married him.”
“He has already married? That’s a pity.”
“Yes, it’s Madam Shi who offered the seed before.”
“It turns out to be Madam Shi, she is a good match for the champion.”
Thanks for reading, likes, and comments. ^.^
No spoilers, please!
Please support the author by reading the original version on their official site, or buying the book. ^.^