I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 33 Making things difficult
After answering the first two types of questions, Xue Xiang looked up at the incense sticks in front of him. The first stick had only burned two-thirds of its length. The total time for answering the questions was the time it takes for four incense sticks to burn, which is equivalent to two hours.

There was plenty of time, but Xue Xiang was still completely clueless, staring blankly at the exam paper.

Behind the podium in front of the wooden hall, there was a long brocade screen, and behind the screen, a graceful woman sat on a futon.

She was tall and slender, wearing a simple yellow dress, her dark hair was styled in a bun, revealing her fair neck, and her face was covered with a white veil.

She was the female Taoist priest temporarily in charge of Zhaoyewu.

"princess……"

"Ok?"

"Yuanjun".

The woman in green quickly changed her tune, abandoning her usual dignified demeanor. She nimbly jumped to the side of the woman in yellow and whispered, "I've figured it out. It's Xue Xiang, the newspaper guy. Rumor has it that he wants to see Jiangnan, and 'The Mortal World' is his work."

You've been reading it every day, haven't you? Now it's all come to you, delivered right to your doorstep. You're in a prime position now, so why worry about not being the first to get your hands on it?

"Rumors are a mix of truth and falsehood; who knows if he's the author? But he is quite handsome. To use a witty remark from 'The Mortal World,' yes, he's pleasing to the eye."

The woman in the yellow dress yawned and slowly lay down. "Let's walk around the exam hall. After all, it's an exam."

The woman in green agreed and went into the examination room. About twenty breaths later, she returned.

"Yuanjun, this is bad."

"So easily startled, what's going to be bad?"

“I sneaked over and took a look. Xue Xiang’s essay was very weak. It seems he is not a scholar. Maybe the rumors are false and he is not the author of ‘The Mortal World’ at all.”

"So what if it's not true? There aren't many people with real talent who have good looks."

The woman in the yellow dress yawned. "Don't bother me, I'm going to take a nap."

Two incense sticks later, the woman in the yellow dress was shaken awake by the woman in the green dress. "Someone has submitted their paper. Judge it quickly."

The woman in the yellow dress rubbed her eyes, took the paper, and glanced at it briefly. "Not bad at all. Wei Wendao lives up to his reputation as someone who passed the city examination last year. He got two questions wrong on general knowledge, only missed one line in the classical text recitation, and his essay and policy discussion were both extremely well done. A score of over ninety..."

The woman in the yellow dress whispered as she graded the papers. More and more people handed in their papers, and she graded them all in a few breaths.

As the last incense stick was about to burn out, Xue Xiang finally handed in his paper.

The woman in the yellow dress eagerly took Xue Xiang's test paper and examined it closely. "The handwriting is good, strong and elegant, showing some skill."

You got one general knowledge question wrong, but you got all the dictation questions right. Not bad!

Huh? This, how come this policy essay is written so haphazardly? It even has problems with the opening statement. It doesn't even qualify as a basic understanding.

With that level of skill, participating in the city examination would only make them cannon fodder.

Soon, the top thirty papers were released, and the woman in green copied down the names, preparing to post them on the notice board.

When they reached the twenty-second paper, the woman in the yellow dress pulled out a paper with Zhao Tang's name on it and stuffed Xue Xiang's paper inside.

"Yuanjun?"

The woman in green stopped writing.

"This guy named Zhao Tang is sleazy. When he hands in his paper, he stares at you with lecherous eyes. It's disgusting."

The woman in the yellow dress offered an explanation.

"What about this one?"

The woman in green pulled out Mengde's exam paper. "When this pale-faced fat man handed in his paper, he deliberately tripped and fell, just waiting for you to help him up."

"My eyes are practically glued to you, what do you mean by that?"

"This shows that Mengde has good judgment; if he doesn't recruit someone like this, who else should he?"

The woman in the yellow dress spoke eloquently.

The woman in green was speechless for a moment, then pointed at Xue Xiang's exam paper and said, "Entering him is blatant cheating."

"Can't my territory be my own?"

"You said you don't judge by appearances."

"I'm returning a favor. Haven't you noticed that I've been sleeping better lately? Even my skin has improved a lot. Listening to 'The Mortal World' at night is one of life's pleasures. Regardless of whether he wrote 'The Mortal World' or not, the newspaper that serialized it was definitely his doing. I have to repay this favor."

Moments later, the list of admitted students was announced, causing an uproar.

Those who were selected rejoiced, while those who were not selected lamented.

"Please read out Xue Xiang's answer sheet, Miss."

Suddenly a shout was heard, and everyone looked over to see that it was Su Ziming who spoke.

His family and Mr. Yin Chuan were old friends. Others respected female Taoist priests, but he wasn't afraid to offend them. He had always been arrogant, and Xue Xiang was certainly not someone he could take seriously.

"What do you mean?"

The woman in green felt a pang of anxiety.

Su Zimo said, "Xue Xiang was only allowed to participate in this city examination because he stirred up trouble in Jiufen Mountain."

He did not receive a complete formal education and never gained any fame for his talent.

Today's test questions were no less difficult than the official city examination papers. I don't believe his level is up to the standard for admission to the private school.

Of course, to ensure fairness, I request that my exam paper be made public.

He was also on the list of nominees.

"You just announce it like that? The results of the city-level exams are released, so why doesn't anyone dare to protest?"

The woman in green asked in a cold voice, her voice lacking in strength.

"We have already stated our reasons for doubting Xue Xiang. Since it is a selection process based on merit and an examination, what we seek is fairness."

Su Ziming perked up.

He was not convinced of Xue Xiang's understanding of the classics, and criticizing Xue Xiang was merely a way to create public opinion.

Now, the woman in green's refusal to let him see the exam paper has only fueled his determination to stir up public opinion.

Sure enough, many of the unsuccessful candidates echoed Su Ziming's sentiments.

"What are you all doing?"

A clear voice rang out, and the woman in the yellow dress turned out from behind the screen. "This is not the city examination site. This is just a private school. Let alone whether there is an examination or not, who is selected and who is not selected is entirely up to Mr. Yin Chuan."

Since Mr. Yin Chuan has entrusted me with full authority, I am the one who makes the decisions.

Those who do not wish to stay may leave.

The Su family and Mr. Yin Chuan were on good terms, so Su Zimo was not afraid of the woman in the yellow dress. He cupped his hands and said, "It seems that no matter when, it is still better to cultivate oneself in the public office. We commoners are ultimately not as good as officials."

"Please, Yuanjun (a respectful title for a female Taoist priest), release my examination paper."

Xue Xiang stepped out from the crowd.

From his perspective, he naturally didn't believe that anyone would cover for him for no reason.

He felt quite good about himself, thinking that even if his essay on the final policy question wasn't perfect, he should have passed. Considering the two major categories before him, being on the list was definitely a reflection of his true abilities.

Most importantly, he must speak out in protest and resist the public opinion stirred up by Su Ziming.

A good reputation is far too important for a Confucian scholar or a scholar.

Su Ziming was splashed with bucket after bucket of dirty water, which, though not black, stained him black.

“My mind is made up. Those who are not satisfied can leave. Zhaoyewu is used to being quiet and peaceful. It is not a place for you to quarrel.”

The woman in the yellow dress was adamant.

"In that case, we can't say anything more. We all know what's going on."

Su Zimo said with a smile.

"What a strange and sarcastic tone! Where did they get their recitation of the classics?"

The woman in the yellow dress said coldly, "Not releasing the exam papers is the pride of Zhaoyewu."

But since the public has doubts, I should also clarify them.

According to the consensus of Confucian scholars, if the regulations are well-written, then whatever you want to write, whether it's poetry or prose, you can write poetry or prose.

A whip marks a mark, a slap brings blood.

Everyone's time is precious, so just paint.

"Wonderful! This is the kind of elegant gathering we should enjoy."

"When Confucian scholars gather, how can there be no poetry?"

"Although I am not good at writing formal prose, my talent in poetry and prose has long been recognized."

"........."

With everyone agreeing, Su Ziming couldn't go against the majority opinion and dared not insist that the woman in the yellow dress publish the exam paper.

Brothers, please give me some feedback! The more I write, the more anxious I get, like playing a single-player game. Tell me everything, good or bad.

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(End of this chapter)