Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

As the saying goes, "When the emperor is angry, millions will die."

However, this only happens to monarchs with real power.

As for Zhao Huan's anger, the ministers simply remained silent.

"Speak up! Why aren't you speaking? The original purpose of the imperial examination was to select useful talents for the Song Dynasty, but now, everyone in the world dares to engage in favoritism and corruption!"

I do not believe that hundreds of identical policy responses could be orchestrated without a mastermind behind them. This trend must not be allowed to continue!

As soon as he finished speaking, Minister of Revenue Jiang Yuhan stood up and said, "Your Majesty, just as Minister Lai said, hundreds of identical policy essays do not prove anything."

Perhaps these answers represent the most suitable way of governing a country, as unanimously agreed upon by the candidates?

Furthermore, if there were truly allegations of collective cheating, then all of the more than one thousand candidates in the entire examination hall should have done so.

To conclude that there was cheating simply because these two hundred exam papers contained similar content is, in my opinion, extremely unfair to the candidates.

Zhao Huan frowned: "So, according to Minister Jiang, these candidates who wrote the same answers did not cheat?"

"In my opinion, today is the first imperial examination of the Song Dynasty, and it is being held in the capital city under the emperor's nose. How could these students know the content of the examination in advance?"

It's clear that those students shared the same opinion and just happened to write the same answers. Besides, nearly a thousand other candidates also wrote different answers.

If Your Majesty is dissatisfied with those hundreds of policy essays, you can certainly select a suitable candidate from the remaining essays.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huan immediately realized that it made some sense.

He looked at Ye Fan and asked, "Imperial Censor Ye, how are the other candidates' answers? Have you looked at them?"

Ye Fan replied truthfully, "Your Majesty, please calm down. After seeing these students' identical answer sheets, I really had no heart to check the other exam papers, so I have not checked them carefully yet."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lai Ba stood up and replied, "Your Majesty, when Imperial Censor Ye left the examination hall, I and the other officials had already briefly reviewed all the answer sheets."

To be honest, some of the answers were nonsense, and others were illegible; none of them were worthy of serious consideration.

If Your Majesty does not believe me, I can retrieve those answer sheets and ask Your Majesty to verify them personally.

"Bring it here immediately so that I may see it for myself."

Zhao Huan also wanted to see what level the examination papers for the first imperial examination were at.

Before long, Lai Ba ordered someone to place a box of exam papers in the Imperial Study.

"Your Majesty, apart from the one on your table, all the other candidates' answer sheets are here. Please check them yourself."

"Send it up."

When a box full of answer sheets was presented, Zhao Huan began to carefully read through them.

He frowned deeply as soon as he opened the first document.

The exam paper was covered in corrections. Regardless of the content, just looking at it made Zhao Huan instinctively feel disgusted.

Whose handiwork was this?

"Your Majesty, this is the work of Meng Qingsheng, a student from a commoner family."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huan sighed, put the answer sheet aside, and picked up another one to look at.

The second one wasn't as covered in graffiti as the first, but the handwriting was crooked and lacked any aesthetic appeal.

Instantly, Zhao Huan lost interest in watching any further.

Then, he looked at more than a dozen more copies. They were either full of typos and illegible, or the answers were disjointed and incomplete. There wasn't a single one that Zhao Huan could read from beginning to end. It was as if his eyes had been polluted.

Zhao Huan was quite impressed with the neat handwriting and consistent answers on the exam papers; at least the people who wrote them could answer them clearly.

"Ugh."

Zhao Huan finally sighed helplessly, muttering, "Not a single one of them can meet my standards."

Ye Fan frowned: "Your Majesty, please allow me to take a look."

Zhao Huan nodded weakly and pointed to the wooden box, saying, "Imperial Censor Ye, you can go and see for yourself."

Ye Fan flipped through a few pages, and looking at the handwriting that seemed to wriggle like earthworms, he was instantly rendered speechless.

This seems quite different from what I expected; it really is such a coincidence.

Then, upon looking at the names of the candidates who answered the questions, he couldn't help but frown.

Then, they quickly retrieved the exam papers with the same answers and compared them.

Instantly, a chill swept over every inch of my skin.

At this moment, he finally understood that from beginning to end, these powerful families of the Song Dynasty not only never intended for the reforms to be implemented smoothly, but also used such an extremely humiliating method to warn him.

Those who answered the questions were all from aristocratic families. As for those messy exam papers, they were all filled by people they found from who-knows-where to fill the gaps, some of whom were even servants from scholarly families who had only known how to read for a few days.

The truly impoverished students never even entered the capital, and might not even know that there was such a thing as the imperial examination.

"Imperial Censor Ye, what do you have to say now?" Lai Ba asked. "Is this the imperial examination you wanted? Fortunately, this was just a trial."

If this were actually implemented, I dare not even imagine how chaotic and corrupt my dignified Song Dynasty court would become!

Ye Fan remained silent, unsure how to express his emotions at that moment.

He was completely numb, but one question still flashed through his mind: How did Shen Lang manage to do it? Why was it so difficult for him? Was he really inferior to him?

As Ye Fan fell into self-doubt, Jiang Yuhan stood up and bowed to Zhao Huan, saying, "Your Majesty, facts have proven that the imperial examination system cannot change the official system of our Great Song Dynasty. I urge Your Majesty to abolish it to prevent it from poisoning the court of our Great Song Dynasty."

Lai Ba: "Indeed, Your Majesty. The Great Song has its own national conditions. Although Wu Zhao is a great power, its laws and regulations are completely different from ours. We cannot simply copy them. We should restore the recommendation system."

Xue Congli went even further, saying, "Your Majesty, even in the State of Chu, there's no sign of the recommendation system being abolished. And now, despite Chu's current strength, it hasn't relied on the imperial examinations."

Imperial Censor Ye, however, is attempting to impose laws and regulations that are not even applicable to the motherland onto our Great Song Dynasty. I wonder what his true intentions are.

Upon hearing this, Ye Fan opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

Now, all he knows is that the domestic reforms have failed, and failed miserably.

What's the point of saying anything now?

But if he doesn't speak, Zhao Huan will be under a lot of pressure.

Seeing that Ye Fan remained silent, he couldn't help but remind him, "Imperial Censor Ye, do you have anything to say?"

Ye Fan met Zhao Huan's expectant gaze, but only lowered his head and shook his head helplessly.

Zhao Huan's face stiffened, and for the first time, a hint of disappointment flashed through his mind towards Ye Fan.

"Very well, the imperial examination system is indeed slightly different from the national conditions of the Song Dynasty and is not suitable for promotion throughout the entire territory for the time being. Effective immediately, it will be completely abolished and the old system of recommendation will continue to be used."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

The assembled officials rose and immediately performed the courtesies due to Zhao Huan as ruler and subject.

Little did Zhao Huan know that as he faced the gifts from the officials, he felt as if he had been slapped in the face, and his face burned with pain.

When the ministers looked up at Ye Fan again, their eyes were full of provocation.

"I am tired. You may all leave. Minister Lai, calm the examinees down and then send them out of the palace."

After saying this, Zhao Huan stood up and, for the first time, didn't even glance at Ye Fan before returning directly to his palace.

Thus, a rift began to form between the emperor and his ministers.