Who put the yellow robe on me?

In Daliang, each autumn examination was held in three sessions, each lasting three days and two nights. The top 100 candidates in the autumn examination were eligible to participate in the spring examination and the palace examination the following year.

Inside the Wanxiu Imperial Examination Hall, the sounds of the examinees writing could be heard one after another, and the atmosphere was tense and solemn.

The first and second exams of the Autumn Examination went very smoothly. After the second exam, some people looked relaxed while others looked solemn.

As the most watched event in Daliang this time, Jiang Chen and others would come to the teahouse opposite the Imperial Examination Hall almost every day to observe what was happening in the Imperial Examination Hall.

Jiang Sirou watched the students finish their second round of examinations at the Imperial Academy and said to Jiang Chen, "Sixteenth Brother, aren't you being too suspicious? It's been six days in a row, and everything in the Imperial Academy is fine."

He Xiaowei said to Jiang Sirou, "Sister Rou, isn't it a good thing that you're safe and sound?"

Jiang Sirou stuck out her tongue at He Xiaowei and said, "Xiao Wei'er, just protect him. I think my sixteenth brother is just too cautious."

"Your Mu Zhengyi also took part in the Autumn Examination this time. I don't know how the exam went."

Jiang Chen felt uneasy when he thought of Mu Zhengyi and Situ Yongrui coming to participate in the Autumn Examination.

This autumn examination is not only related to the imperial court's selection, but also a stage for the struggle among the children of some powerful people. The abnormal behavior of Mu Zhengyi and Situ Yongrui before made him have to be vigilant.

He Xiaowei smiled awkwardly when she heard "Mu Zhengyi", then said calmly, "I hope Mr. Mu can also get into high school."

Just when Jiang Sirou was about to say something else, shouting came from the Imperial Examination Hall downstairs!

"It's on fire! It's on fire!"

There were flames rising into the sky and thick smoke billowing, and the entire Imperial Examination Hall fell into chaos.

The candidates panicked and fled the examination room in all directions. Some fell down, and some were choked by the smoke and coughed uncontrollably.

The shouts, coughs and running sounds of the candidates intertwined to form a sea of noise, and the flames, helped by the wind, quickly devoured the wooden buildings.

"There's a fire! Sixteenth brother! Hurry! Put out the fire!"

After saying that, Jiang Sirou picked up the sword beside her and prepared to put out the fire.

A sword is needed to put out a fire? This left Jiang Chen speechless...

"Wait, look over there..."

Jiang Chen pointed to the upper right corner of the Tribute Hall, and General Zhong Wenbin, with a small team of guards, quickly arrived at the fire and began to put out the fire.

"Your Highness the Sixteenth, General Zhong acted so quickly." Jiang Sirou exclaimed sincerely.

He Xiaowei glanced at Jiang Chen and said, "Your Highness, you made all the arrangements in advance, right?"

Jiang Chen nodded silently. "I've looked up the records of accidents that occurred during the Autumn Examinations in previous years at Tianlu Palace. Most of them were caused by fire, poisoning, disease, etc."

"So you made preparations in advance?" He Xiaowei asked curiously.

"That's right!" Jiang Chen nodded, but he knew that this sudden fire was obviously not simple.

The fire was finally brought under control thanks to everyone's efforts, but a small area of the Imperial Examination Hall had become a mess.

As the night deepened, the fire gradually died down and the air was filled with a burning smell.

Shao Changhui, Jia Shiyan and Yang Shaolin checked the burned test papers and found that the test paper for the second exam was intact, but part of the test paper for the first exam was burned.

Jia Shiyan and Yang Shaolin believed that since part of the first test paper was burned, an additional test should be held.

Although Shao Changhui felt that there was something wrong, the three of them were the joint commanders of this autumn examination, and the two of them had agreed, so he had no reason to object.

Xiong Zhiheng, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, who was disguised as a servant, thought this matter was strange.

He was seen standing in the ruins, staring at the burnt test papers, with a vague sense of foreboding in his heart.

Xiong Zhiheng searched back and forth in the ruins, trying to find clues. Relying on his intuition from years of handling cases in the Ministry of Justice, he believed that the location of the fire was unusual.

He found something wrong in the ruins. Some test papers were not completely burned, and these test papers seemed to be deliberately placed aside, as if someone had left them there on purpose.

Xiong Zhiheng was puzzled and took a quick look at the test papers. Then they were collected by other servants.

At this moment, Yang Weiqian, the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, quickly rushed to the scene and launched an investigation.

While inspecting the wreckage of the examination room, Yang Weiqian led people to check the scene and found traces of kerosene in Luo Shihua and Qin Yiliang's candles. He immediately suspected that they were the culprits of the fire.

"There are traces of kerosene in your candles. It's obvious that you two set the fire intentionally!" Yang Weiqian asked.

"Sir, this is unjust!" Luo Shihua knelt down and cried, "These candles were issued by the Imperial Examination Hall, not brought by the students themselves. How could this be arson?"

Qin Yiliang cried out, "Sir, the fire didn't start in our room, how could this be our fault?"

Luo Shihua and Qin Yiliang made every possible excuse, claiming that they were not at fault, but they were still blamed for the fire.

At this moment, Shao Changhui, who came from the Ministry of Justice, came to Yang Weiqian and said, "Sir Yang, there's no evidence to support this matter. These two candidates have another exam tomorrow. Why not wait until the Autumn Examination is over before conducting the trial?"

"If these two were to set the fire, we can report this to His Majesty and cancel their results in the Autumn Examination."

Seeing Shao Changhui's plea, Jia Shiyan also intervened: "Master Yang, Master Shao is absolutely right. Why don't we let these two return to their rooms to rest and prepare for tomorrow's exam?"

Seeing that the joint commander of the Autumn Examination pleaded for the two of them, Yang Weiqian did not say much and hurriedly left the government office.

Luo Shihua and Qin Yiliang hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed to Shao Changhui and others to express their gratitude.

After everyone dispersed, Shao Changhui, Jia Shiyan and Yang Shaolin arranged for people to tidy up the Imperial Examination Hall and prepare as much as possible for tomorrow's exam.

Shao Changhui was filled with self-blame and regret. He was responsible for the safety of the Imperial Examination Hall, but he failed to find traces of kerosene in the candle, and his heart was filled with bitterness.

The impact of the fire forced the schedule of the autumn examination to be rescheduled.

Although Luo Shihua and Qin Yiliang felt helpless, they still decided to continue taking the next exam.

The tense atmosphere inside and outside the Imperial Examination Hall reached its peak, and the candidates were full of confusion and anxiety.

The subsequent exams were held in a tense atmosphere. Luo Shihua and Qin Yiliang took the exams calmly and tried their best.

After the fire, Mu Zhengyi and Situ Yongrui shook off their previous decadence and performed excellently when answering questions.

Jiang Chen stood in the teahouse, watching the movements inside and outside the Imperial Examination Hall, secretly planning his next move in his mind.

Jiang Sirou and He Xiaowei were also watching silently from the side, their hearts filled with worry.

"I hope there won't be any more accidents this time." He Xiaowei said in a low voice.

Jiang Sirou nodded, "Yes, the Autumn Examination is finally over."

The end? Jiang Chen thought to himself, this might just be the beginning of this farce of the Autumn Examination.