The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 156: The Divine Being of Top Scholar, Please Show Yourself

Chapter 156: The Divine Being of Top Scholar, Please Show Yourself

Yan Ling took out a wolf hair brush.

"Oh, divine top scholar, reveal your presence swiftly!" he murmured, dipping the brush in ink and beginning to answer the exam paper.

From that moment on, Yan Ling’s expression became incredibly serious as he wrote swiftly and skillfully on the paper.

The Spring Examination was not yet over, but several candidates couldn’t hold on any longer and fainted, being carried out of the examination hall.

As long as the remaining candidates persevered, submitted their papers, they had already surpassed many others.

Chu Huan was one of those who persisted until the end.

However, when he left the examination hall, he seemed to have shed a layer of skin, appearing noticeably thinner.

When Aunt Liang came to pick him up, she couldn’t help but cry.

Next came the evaluation of the exam papers by the examiners.

Due to Ye Siheng’s responsibility of overseeing the examiners, he had been busy lately and had little time to meet with Nanli.

Moreover, the two of them were getting married in a couple of months, and according to custom, it was best to see each other less frequently.

The three examiners cross-checked the papers and finally selected the top candidates, then chose the top three from among them.

They unanimously agreed that the candidate named Yan Ling had answered the best and deserved to be the top scholar.

Emperor Muwu became interested.

In the past, the top scholars were all disciples of famous teachers, but he had never heard of this Yan Ling before.

After carefully examining the exam paper, he couldn’t help but exclaim three times in admiration.

Ye Siheng, on the other hand, was somewhat familiar with the name and wanted to take a look at the paper as well.

However, as soon as he saw the handwriting, he furrowed his brows.

And after being reminded by the eunuch supervisor, Emperor Muwu finally learned who this Yan Ling was.

It turned out that he was a relative of the Anyang Marquis’s family, and their family had offended the Lord of Jin.

His father was even imprisoned.

Since he was at odds with the Anyang Marquis Mansion, Emperor Muwu had the intention to promote him, saying, "Then let it be him, he is a talented individual."

Before the examiners could praise the emperor’s wisdom, Ye Siheng spoke up, "Your Majesty, there are some issues with this candidate’s exam paper. It needs to be thoroughly investigated before making a decision."

"What issues?" Emperor Muwu was quite displeased.

He thought that Ye Siheng must have known Yan Ling’s identity, which was why he deliberately said this.

"The handwriting on his exam paper seems familiar to me," Ye Siheng said.

The handwriting was so good that it left a deep impression on him.

Emperor Muwu raised an eyebrow and said coldly, "Ninth brother, don’t you want Yan Ling to become the top scholar because you know about his conflict with the Anyang Marquis’s family?"

"I have no such intention. The imperial examination is meant to select talented individuals for the court. If someone with insufficient ability cheats their way to the top, it would be a disaster for the court," Ye Siheng carefully considered and said, "It should be from the exam paper six years ago, also a top three candidate. I request that Your Majesty compare them."

The examiners looked at each other, caught between not wanting to displease the emperor and not wanting to offend Ye Siheng.

They were in a dilemma.

It was Prime Minister Lu who spoke up, "Your Majesty, my son and this candidate Yan Ling once studied together. My son is someone who appreciates talent, yet he has never mentioned Yan Ling’s exceptional abilities. There are indeed doubts about this exam paper. It would be better to investigate thoroughly to prevent any fishy business."

After thinking for a while, Emperor Muwu felt a slight headache.

He didn’t want to think about it anymore and waved his hand, "Go and compare the previous exam papers one by one. I want to see whether someone cheated or someone deliberately targeted him."

Everyone understood who he was referring to.

Ye Siheng, however, stood straight with a calm expression, unaffected.

Prime Minister Lu sent someone to retrieve the exam papers from the past decade. These papers were stored in the palace archives, so it only took about half an hour for them to be brought back and the search for comparisons began.

Ye Siheng had a deep impression and directly asked Prime Minister Lu to look at the exam paper from six years ago, which seemed to be from someone named Xu Zhida.

Prime Minister Lu was skeptical but found the name and compared the papers, instantly shocked. "They are so similar! Truly alike!" he exclaimed.

It wasn’t just the handwriting, even some of the strokes and pauses were exactly the same!

Ye Siheng glanced at it and thought that his memory was indeed good.

Although he had been on the battlefield, he was also someone who loved reading, so he would read each top scholar’s exam paper carefully.

Because Xu Zhida’s handwriting and arguments were truly excellent, he remembered them until now.

After the other examiners compared the papers, they presented them to Emperor Muwu for review.

After Emperor Muwu finished reading, he was slightly surprised and then said, "I remember this Xu Zhida. He was indeed knowledgeable, but he fell ill and died after only a few years in office. Many people have copied his handwriting, so it doesn’t necessarily mean anything that Yan Ling imitated it."

You see, after Yan Ling, the next candidate is Chu Huan.

How could he let Chu Huan become the top scholar!

According to the rules, once the top scholar entered officialdom, they would become a Hanlin Academy compiler, a decent official position.

With further cultivation, they could enter the Six Ministries and the Imperial Cabinet. Ye Siheng said, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. I have already sent someone to invite Yan Ling to the palace. When the time comes, the truth will be revealed."

Emperor Muwu gritted his teeth.

This imperial throne was not as comfortable as letting his ninth brother sit on it!

Unfortunately, Ye Siheng’s actions were reasonable, leaving Yan Ling speechless. Before long, Yan Ling was brought to the Imperial Study.

He was appropriately dressed, with nothing amiss, except for a slightly pale face and trembling body.

Emperor Muwu glanced at him, and Yan Ling immediately knelt down in fear, stammering, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Emperor Muwu narrowed his eyes, feeling a slight wavering in his heart.

How could someone who wrote such an article be so timid?

He spoke slowly, "Rise. Your essay is well-written, and I particularly admire your calligraphy. Write a few more sentences for me to see."

Yan Ling secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It was just writing, what was there to fear?

A eunuch brought a table forward, along with prepared brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Yan Ling approached the table, unconsciously touching the jade pendant at his waist.

He picked up the brush but hesitated, unable to start.

Everyone was watching, but only Ye Siheng noticed that a wisp of black mist emerged from Yan Ling’s jade pendant, attempting to entangle the pen in his hand.

However, a golden light flashed, accompanied by a gust of wind, and the black mist retreated back into the jade pendant, no longer daring to come out.

Emperor Muwu grew impatient, "How much longer do you need to prepare? Can’t you even write a few words?!"

Trembling, Yan Ling’s hand shook, splattering a few drops of ink.

"Your Majesty, I’ll be quick, I’ll be quick..." He kept his left hand clenched around the jade pendant, wondering why the help of the divine top scholar, was absent this time.

Seeing his pale complexion, Ye Siheng reminded him slowly, "Don’t you know there’s a formation in the palace, especially in this study room? No demons or monsters would dare to cause trouble. The ghost in your jade pendant is probably unable to help you now."

Yan Ling suddenly looked at Ye Siheng and quickly released his grip on the jade pendant.

He said, "I... I don’t know what you’re talking about, my lord."

Ye Siheng sneered, "If you don’t know what I’m saying, then quickly write a few words for everyone to see if your handwriting matches the exam paper."