Started as a thatched house and ended up as a female figure

In the capital, in the imperial court.

When an official from the Ministry of Personnel read out the names of candidates who had passed the provincial examinations in various places as a routine during the morning court session, when he read out "from Shuonan County, Anling Commandery, Liangzhou, Cheng Wan, 19th place", there was a strange silence in the entire Xuanzheng Hall for a moment.

The expressions on many officials' faces froze instantly, their eyes filled with disbelief, astonishment, and even... a hint of panic.

"Cheng Wan? Marquis Zhaoping? She...she really won?!"

"Nineteenth?! How is that possible! She's a woman..."

"She...she actually has such talent!"

……

After a brief moment of dead silence, there was an uncontrollable murmur of discussion.

Those who had asserted that Cheng Wan would never succeed in the real imperial examination felt as if they had been hit hard by an invisible slap in the face.

Burning pain.

And this is not the first time they have felt this way.

When Cheng Wan passed the county examination, prefectural examination, and academy examination respectively, he felt as if he was slapped in the face every time.

But this time the pain was especially intense.

Those who can stand here and attend court are those who have passed the imperial examination.

They understand the difficulty of the provincial examination better than anyone else.

And he passed the provincial examination with the 19th place.

This makes it impossible for them to continue to comfort themselves and deceive themselves by using luck and the fact that the exam is relatively easy.

Duke Cheng'en Liu Congnan stood at the front of the line of civil servants. His face remained expressionless, but the fingers hidden in his sleeves curled up slightly.

He raised his eyes and glanced at the emperor on the throne inconspicuously.

The emperor, whose thoughts were always difficult to discern, seemed to slightly curl his lips.

Liu Congnan's eyelids drooped, and his heart sank when he thought of the message the Queen had given him a few days ago.

Marquis Zhaoping...Cheng Wan...

After the court session ended, several officials, led by Wei Hufeng, who had always been most hostile to Cheng Wan, gathered in a secret tea room.

“Bang!” Wei Hufeng’s face turned pale, and he slammed his fist on the table. The teacup jumped up: “Nineteenth place! She actually got it! And nineteenth place! This is a great shame!”

"Master Wei, calm down!" A person beside him hurriedly advised, but his expression was equally grim: "Who would have thought that a woman like her would have such a talent..."

"Ability? Humph!" Another person said sinisterly, "Who knows if there is any trick? The place in Liangzhou... or that kid from the Gu family secretly made some efforts!"

"The emperor himself allowed her to take the imperial examination. Which examiner would dare to cheat in the examination? No matter how powerful Gu Yan is, he can't reach the examination paper that has been copied under a false name!"

Someone was still sober enough to point out the key point.

This caused the room to fall into silence again.

Yes, the provincial examination was recorded with names covered and the procedure was very strict.

The only explanation for why Cheng Wan ranked 19th was that her essay truly conquered the examiners!

This realization made them feel more shocked and... terrified than Cheng Wan's success in the imperial examination itself.

"What Mr. Liu meant..." Someone looked cautiously at an official who had been silent the whole time. This person was Liu Congnan's confidant.

The trusted official stroked his beard, his eyes gloomy:

"My Lord said, what's the big deal about passing the imperial examination? It's just a step into the door.

The imperial examination and the palace examination are the real lurks of dragons and tigers.

There are plenty of opportunities for ups and downs in officialdom.

Let her be proud for a while. The higher she climbs, the more she will fall down in the future. This will allow people all over the world to see the vanity of "women interfering in politics"! "

Having said that, the atmosphere in the tea room was still depressing.

Cheng Wan, this dark horse that suddenly emerged, with her body as a woman and the title of a juren, is strongly impacting their inherent cognition and interest structure with an irrefutable attitude.

After a moment of condensation, Wei Hufeng glanced around and said, "Mr. Liu is kind and kind, and he can't bear to take Cheng Wan's life, but we must understand that Cheng Wan must not be kept any longer!"

"Master Wei means..."

"Except for her! It's all over!" Wei Hufeng narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze was like an icy cold pond, and his whole face was full of cruelty.

The other officials looked at each other with excitement in their eyes, but no one took the lead to agree with Wei Hufeng's words.

Behind Cheng Wan stood the prince, or even... the emperor.

To get rid of Cheng Wan is, to a certain extent, equivalent to going against the emperor's will.

If you are not careful, the official hat on your head may be in danger of being lost.

Seeing that no one was talking, Wei Hufeng became anxious and asked angrily:

"What? Don't you want to get rid of Cheng Wan?! Or are you scared of Cheng Wan? You don't dare to do anything to her?!!!"

Liu Congnan's confidant glanced at Wei Hufeng from the corner of his eye, and then said in embarrassment: "But getting rid of Cheng Wan is against the emperor's will. Cheng Wan is not to be feared, but if the emperor finds out, we will be in big trouble."

After saying this, Liu Congnan's confidant gave an official a subtle look.

The official who received the message's eyes flickered, and then he sighed:

"Lord Liu is a loyal and devoted minister. If he can get rid of Cheng Wan without violating the emperor's will, why would Lord Liu have to tolerate her?

After all, we are all subjects. If we displease the emperor because of Cheng Wan, wouldn't it be more trouble than gain?

The emperor will not be soft-hearted towards us, his subjects."

As soon as these words were spoken, they were immediately echoed by the rest of the people.

Isn't this why they are so restrained?

They all understood the emperor's temper.

I really don't dare to gamble.

"Then let's find someone the emperor will not be able to bear with." Wei Hufeng's eyes flashed with a cold light: "It's not just us 'ministers' who dislike Cheng Wan."

"Master Wei is referring to..." Liu Congnan's confidant looked at Wei Hufeng with a serious expression: "Master Wei, think twice before you act! Just like Mr. Liu said, there will be many opportunities to deal with Cheng Wan in the future. Don't put your future at risk because of a little Cheng Wan. It's not worth it!"

"Yes, Lord Wei, although Mr. Liu now hates Cheng Wan very much, he is not in a hurry. You must not act rashly!" The official who had previously exchanged glances with Liu Congnan's confidant also "kindly" persuaded him.

It was just that the ending tone was deliberately prolonged, like a bait that was buried inadvertently, just waiting for Wei Hufeng to follow the thread and fall into the trap they had set up long ago.

Wei Hufeng waved his hand, his face full of confidence: "Don't worry, everyone, I'm just going to stir up trouble. After the matter is accomplished, even if the emperor is furious, he will never punish you for a mere Cheng Wan..."

Wei Hufeng's lips moved twice, and several officials clinked their glasses and smiled tacitly.

……

Late at night, Cheng Wan sat alone in the study, holding a secret letter that Gu Yan had given her before dinner.

The secret letter briefly described the commotion caused by her success in the imperial examination in the capital.

"Master, I'm afraid that many of those old stubborn people in the capital are so angry that they can't sleep." Jin Jin's voice contained a hint of gloating.

Cheng Wan lit the secret letter between his fingertips and watched the jumping flames devour the paper, turning it into ashes and drifting away.

There was no pride on her face, only quiet determination.

"It's best if they can't sleep." Cheng Wan said softly, his eyes piercing the candlelight, as sharp as a knife: "Let them open their eyes and watch carefully, how I, Cheng Wan, step by step, turn their 'impossible' into 'natural'."