AWB Chapter 172 I want to report!
Chapter 172 I want to report!
Yun Shang looked at Yu Wan's shocked expression, but remained calm.
He slightly raised his eyes and glanced at the list, his gaze lingering on the name "Zhou Yizhi" for a moment.
His voice was calm. "Zhou Yizhi comes from the Huiling Zhou family. He is a direct descendant of the Zhou family and is quite talented. It is not surprising that he was able to get first place."
Yu Wan pursed her lips and muttered under her breath, "Impossible."
As she spoke, her gaze shifted downwards, searching for Yun Shang's name.
The names of the top three on the list were written in larger characters than the rest of the list. Yu Wan looked at them three times before she could believe that Yun Shang hadn't even made it into the top three.
She was stunned.
Putting aside the fact that the male lead has the protagonist's halo, Yun Shang's talent alone should have earned him a place in the top three!
She stubbornly continued reading until she reached the third column, where she finally saw Yun Shang's name.
He ranked sixteenth on the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations, and was from Yunshang Village, Shijia Village, Huicheng County.
Ten! Six! Names! How is that possible!
Yu Wan didn't believe it at all.
She reached out and grabbed Yun Shang's hand, pulling him outside.
Her tone was indignant: "You couldn't possibly have done so poorly on the exam! How could you only be sixteenth on the list of successful candidates!"
This imperial examination produced fewer than ten officials, meaning that the sixteenth-ranked candidate on the list of successful candidates would not receive any official position and would simply be a participant in the process.
"There's definitely something fishy going on here. I'm going to report this to the Hanlin Academy; someone's cheating and falsifying information!"
Before Yun Shang could react, she was pulled out of the crowd by the furious Yu Wan.
He came to his senses and gently pulled Yu Wan back, saying, "Perhaps I failed. There's nothing wrong with the exam paper and the score."
"Impossible!" Yu Wan insisted firmly. "I don't believe you did so poorly on the test. There must be something wrong!"
Yun Shang looked at Yu Wan's resolute expression, his eyes flickering slightly.
His voice was cold and clear, and his face showed no sign of urgency. He said, "Don't be so impulsive. This matter cannot be handled rashly."
Yu Wan wouldn't listen, her eyes filled with stubbornness: "I don't care, your talent is obvious to all, there's no way you could only get this ranking. Someone must have sabotaged you, I can't let you suffer such injustice."
Yun Shang looked at her with a deep gaze: "Even if there is indeed cheating, we need to consider it carefully. Rushing to report it without solid evidence will only bring trouble upon yourself."
Yu Wan bit her lip, thought for a moment, and then said, "Then let's go to the Hanlin Academy to report it and request a review."
Before Yun Shang could say anything more, Yu Wan had already pulled him onto the carriage.
Meanwhile, Prince Chen also learned of Yun Shang's results.
"Sixteenth on the list of successful candidates?" Prince Chen frowned. "Are you sure there's no mistake?"
Mingwei nodded vigorously, "Absolutely right. I couldn't believe it either. I checked it several times and confirmed that Young Master Yun is indeed the sixteenth on the list of successful candidates."
Prince Chen frowned even more deeply.
Having fallen to tenth place on the list of successful candidates, Yun Shang was essentially out of luck for the vacant official position. Even if he could help pull some strings, Emperor Wenjing would certainly not approve of Yun Shang's achievement.
Seeing his master's grave expression, Mingwei cautiously asked, "Your Highness, what should we do now?"
"His Highness has placed all his hopes on Young Master Yun, but Young Master Yun..." A hint of disappointment flashed in Mingwei's eyes, "This subordinate really did not expect Young Master Yun to perform so poorly in the exam."
Prince Chen had not expected this either.
He didn't suspect anything fishy about it; instead, he thought that Yun Shang was probably too nervous because it was his first time taking such a large-scale exam, which was why he failed temporarily.
There are people like this in the exam hall every year.
He usually gets top grades, but he always makes mistakes during important exams.
After a moment of contemplation, Prince Chen said, "First, send someone to investigate the details of this exam and see if there are any irregularities. Also, go and ask Yun Shang in person what he has to say."
Mingwei accepted the order and left.
Meanwhile, Yu Wan and Yun Shang had already arrived at the Hanlin Academy.
Today, two Attendant Readers are on duty at the Hanlin Academy. One of them is surnamed Zhou and also comes from the Huiling Zhou clan. His name is Zhou Wang.
Another person surnamed Xie had a son named Xie Yuanxiu, from the Xie clan of Taixi.
Upon seeing a woman barge into their office, the two academicians' faces darkened.
Zhou Wang looked at the guards at the door with displeasure, "What kind of place is this? Why do you let just anything in?"
The guard, who had been scolded for no reason, lowered his head and stepped forward to report, "Lord Zhou, this is the daughter of the Duke of Anguo's family. We cannot stop her."
The daughter of the Duke of Anguo?
Zhou Wang glanced at Yu Wan, his expression softening slightly, but his tone remained unpleasant, "What are you doing, a woman, barging into the Hanlin Academy so recklessly?"
This was the first time Yu Wan had ever stood up for someone. She cleared her throat, put her hands on her hips, and looked extremely arrogant.
"I suspect there was a problem with the grading process at your Hanlin Academy. I demand that you review candidate Yunshang's exam paper!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Wang frowned immediately.
He sternly reprimanded, "Miss Yu, this is not a place for you to cause trouble. Leave now, and I will not hold your trespassing offenses against you!"
"You may not care, but I will!" Yu Wan didn't budge an inch, her aura no less imposing than Zhou Wang's. "According to the laws of the Great Zhao Dynasty, if a candidate has any doubts about their results, they can request a review from the Hanlin Academy. Lord Zhou, am I not mistaken?"
Zhou Wang's expression froze.
Xie Yuanxiu, who had been observing quietly from the sidelines, chuckled softly, put down the book in his hand, and stepped forward.
The voice was gentle. "Miss Yu is right. According to the laws of the Great Zhao Dynasty, candidates can indeed request a review from the Hanlin Academy, but there are prerequisites."
Yu Wan glanced at him and saw that he had regular features and handsome eyes, which was much more pleasing to the eye than Zhou Wang.
Her tone softened slightly. "I know that if there are no problems after the review, the candidate will have to receive fifty strokes of the cane."
This rule is to prevent some candidates from deliberately causing trouble.
After all, the Hanlin Academy only has so many people. If every candidate who did poorly on the exam were to request a review, would the officials of the Hanlin Academy have to do other work?
Xie Yuanxiu nodded slightly, a hint of appreciation in his eyes.
“Since Miss Yu knows the rules, she should understand that this matter should not be done lightly. If there is no absolute certainty, a review may not only cause this young master Yun physical pain, but may also affect his future.”
Yu Wan frowned slightly, and although she hesitated for a moment, she quickly became determined.
“I am certain that Yun Shang’s talent could not possibly have resulted in only this ranking; there must be something wrong with him.”
Zhou Wang sneered from the side.
"Since the person involved hasn't said anything, what's the use of Miss Yu being so anxious?"
For a moment, everyone's eyes fell on Yun Shang.
Yu Wan reached out and tugged at Yun Shang's sleeve, urging him softly, "Say something."
Yun Shang glanced at her sideways and saw that her face was full of seriousness and her eyes were filled with anxiety, which stirred something in his heart.
Yu Wan wasn't deliberately making things difficult for him; rather, she seemed to genuinely believe that he couldn't possibly have gotten such a bad score.
He said, "You trust me that much?"
Yu Wan nodded without hesitation, "I believe you."
"If there's no problem here, then I'll take the fifty lashes for you!"